Bonnie Moton has owned Stars Antique Market on Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach for 20 years. She is used to encountering family heirlooms and unexpected treasures. But even she gets surprised sometimes.
Two weeks ago she was sorting through the collection of a dealer and friend who had recently passed away. In a pile of old black and white photos, she saw two familiar faces: her mother and herself as a young girl.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Moton said. “It’s like my friend wanted me to find it.”
Moton took over Stars from a mother and daughter team two decades ago. At the time, she was one of the dealers selling collectibles out of a space within the store. When the owners decided it was time to call it quits, they turned to Moton to take over.
“Taking over has been a gift,” she said. “It’s such a treat and a fun place to be. Not just the customers are great but the dealers, too.”
About 62 dealers sell their goods out of Stars Antiques. With Moton’s reputation for return customers and fair pricing, the store is in high demand. Moto has a waiting list, pages-long, for floor space and showcases.
Moton attributes her passion for antiques to her first husband, Errol, who collected military pieces.
“I started with cookie jars,” she said. “Now I love it all. There are some pieces that I buy that I can’t bring myself to sell. I get so attached to the family stories and background.”
One such item is an antique wedding ring Moton bought from a local woman selling her grandmother’s estate. She felt such a connection to the backstory of the woman’s grandmother, she decided to keep it. She wears it every day on her right hand.
“We get such a mix of customers,” she said. “Last week we had a woman come in and buy $700 worth of tea cups for her daughter’s sweet 16th birthday party. And we get tourists and serious collectors. A lot of the Pinterest crowd, too.”
If someone comes in with items that Moton thinks won’t sell at Stars, she still tries to help.
“My husband will go to the Long Beach Flea Market and help folks put things on eBay,” she said. She met her current husband when he began selling his goods at the store. Three years later, they were married.
“We run the store like a co-op,” she said. Everyone who works in the store is also a dealer selling their antiques there. That way, they have a personal stake in Star’s success.
Moton still can’t believe the photo that came her way two weeks ago. Her had died of cancer and sorting through the collection was a trying process for Moton. Finding a lost family treasure was a silver lining.
“She sent me a gift from heaven,” she said, smiling.
